The present invention relates to a portable handheld terminal and in particular a point of care portable handheld terminal utilized in a patient care system.
Medical institutions are faced with a competitive environment in which they must improve profitability and yet simultaneously improve patient care. There are several factors which contribute to the ever increasing cost of hospital care. For example, there is an ever increasing amount of paperwork required by nuses, physicians, pharmacists, and laboratory personnel. In addition, inaccurate recording of patient care provided, drugs, supplies, and tests involved in patient care results in poorer quality of care and in decreasing revenues by failure to fully capture billing opportunities of these actual costs. Inadequate management also results in a failure to provide an accurate report of all costs involved in treating a particular illness.
Moreover, the lack of accurate and rapid transfer of patient information often reduces the accuracy and/or effectiveness of drug administration and patient care, thereby increasing the duration of hospital stay.
In addition, as health care facilities continue to decrease the number of staff personnel as a cost cutting measure and due to the shortage of qualified personnel in the health care field, the possibility of errors in patient care will probably increase.
Further, reductions of the number of staff personnel and increasing automation of patient monitoring systems may result in less time spent by a staff person at each patient's bedside, thus exacerbating psychological stressors on the patient and negatively affecting patient care.
Applicant has filed commonly assigned applications having U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,814,759, 4,835,372, and 4,850,009, which relate to health care systems and which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention offers a system which solves or at least reduces the impact of the above-identified problems and other difficulties associated with health care facilities.